Nintendo patent hints at modular, customisable NX controller

As the release of Nintendo's upcoming gaming system, the Nintendo NX, creeps closer, new leaks and rumours are appearing at an ever-increasing rate.

And today, we've been given a look at a design for a modular, customisable controller that could come with the Nintendo NX when it launches.

Earlier this year, a patent was published which revealed a design for a tablet-like controller (or is it the system itself?) to which several extra elements could be attached.

But this week's patent (via NintendoLife), submitted in late 2013, published in early 2014, and updated this week, depicts a new design whereby various elements of the controller can be swapped out, adding a much deeper level of customisation to the system.

While one image shows a similar tablet-style controller to the patent from earlier this year, with a swappable d-pad in the top-right corner, the other shows the same controller with four separate spaces for swappable elements.

The various modules seem to consist of d-pads, analogue sticks, and three and four-button pads, which can presumably be swapped out at will and shared with other controllers and players.

Of course, there's no way to verify that this is the final design for the NX controller, as it could simply be one idea Nintendo developed to test out. We'll have to wait until the system launches in March 2017 to find out for sure.

The NX is rumoured to be a console/handheld hybrid – think of a something that’s both a 3DS and a Wii U in one.

What's more, if a fresh rumour is correct, whatever form the Nintendo NX arrives in, it will be packing similar hardware to the PS4 and Xbox One.

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